Ex-49ers owner’s funny, emotional speech focuses on players and family

CANTON, Ohio — Not everyone believed Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But Bill Walsh sure did. And not long before he died in 2007, the 49ers coach figured out how salute DeBartolo when the day finally arrived.

DeBartolo, 69, recalled the story during his rollicking induction speech Saturday night. He said about a week after he was selected for this Class of 2016, he received a package in the mail from Walsh’s son, Greg.

Inside was a small 49ers helmet with an inscription from

Walsh. It read: “I knew it was just a matter of time. Congratulations on your election. Love, Bill.”

Walsh could hardly have known it would take almost another decade for the gift to arrive. But DeBartolo made the most of his long-awaited moment Saturday night.

In a speech that alternated between funny and deeply emotional, DeBartolo recounted the journey that spanned from his early struggles of 1977 to the decisions that led to five Super Bowl titles.

He also joked about missing the most famous moment of all. At the 1981 NFC Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys, DeBartolo was left scrambling to get from the owner’s box to the sideline.

He should have reached the field in time to see Joe Montana throw to Dwight Clark for the play that would be known as “The Catch.”

But something blocked his path.

“I was behind the biggest horse you could ever imagine, with the police officer on him about 12 feet above me,” DeBartolo, listed at 5-foot-7, said.

“I heard the screams of the crowd and looked up to the officer. He put his thumbs up and winked and said, ‘Clark, touchdown.’

“That’s how I found out. At our moment of glory, I was literally blocked by a horse’s ass.”

DeBartolo’s view was significantly improved Saturday night. On a cloudless, 77 degree night in his native Ohio, his gaze drifted from the stage, where he was flanked by fellow 49ers enshrinees like Montana and Jerry Rice, to the crowd, where he saluted Candy, his wife of 48 years, and his three daughters.

DeBartolo’s wide-ranging speech was almost equally split between his players and his family. And to DeBartolo, there was really no difference.

“If there is one secret to the success of the 49ers, it is this: We did not see players as simply as players. We saw them as men,” DeBartolo said. “We saw them as sons, husbands, fathers, brothers with families and responsibilities. … We weren’t just a family on Sundays. We were a family every single day.”

In January 1977, football executive Joe Thomas left a message asking Eddie Sr. if he might be interested in buying the 49ers. But Eddie Jr. called him back instead. At 30, he was the proud owner of an NFL franchise.

DeBartolo recounted the jitters he felt at his first owner’s meeting, when then-commissioner Pete Rozelle went through the hallowed roll call: Halas. Mara. Rooney. Hunt. Davis.

“I remember thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’” DeBartolo said. “For the first couple of years, more than a few people in San Francisco asked the same question.”

But his fortunes turned at the end of the 1978 season when DeBartolo hired Walsh as coach. The team also targeted a third-round quarterback named Montana out of Notre Dame, even if it was hardly love at first sight.

“I looked at him and almost fell over,” DeBartolo said. “He was a kid. He had a big Fu Manchu mustache and he looked like he weighed 170 pounds. … I said, ‘Oh, dear god.’”

By 1981, the 49ers were 13-3 and on their way to their first Super Bowl title. The team averaged an astounding 13 wins per season, including playoffs, during a span from 19811998 (not including the strike-shortened 1982 season).

The 49ers claimed 13 division titles, made 16 playoff appearances, advanced to the NFC championship game 10 times, and became the first franchise ever to win five Super Bowls.

DeBartolo poked fun at some of his favorite 49ers during his speech, joking of Ronnie Lott that “I asked him over and over again to give me that pinkie he lost … no such luck.”

But DeBartolo also spoke movingly about his upbringing. He was born in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1946.

“I’ve never talked about this publicly, but when we finally got our fifth ring, we took it to my dad’s final resting place, and it’s with him to this day,” DeBartolo said.

“He and my mom are with me in my heart and in my soul. I’m standing just 40 miles from the town they raised me in.

“Let me tell you, it’s great to be home.”